Rei and Zelos. As the duel commenced, both took the same opening action: closing the distance.
Yet, despite their simultaneous charge, the point where their weapons collided was significantly closer to Zelos’s starting position than the midpoint. It was a stark testament to the fact that Rei’s speed far outstripped his opponent's.
Furthermore, it was not only in speed that Rei was superior.
"Guoh!"
When the Death Scythe and the halberd met, Zelos managed to hold his ground for only a fraction of a second. A heartbeat later, his halberd was violently deflected.
The shock written across Zelos’s face made it clear that this wasn't some calculated parry meant to redirect the Death Scythe's movements; he had simply been overpowered. He stared at Rei, looking as though he could not comprehend what had just happened.
Even so, his expression shifted from shock to joy in the next instant. It was partly his own combat-loving nature, but more than that, it was the realization that the rumors circulating about Rei were no mere exaggerations—they were the absolute truth.
"Heavy, strong, and fast! You're incredible!"
Shouting his praise, Zelos wrenched his deflected halberd back into a guard. The Death Scythe was deceptive; it weighed roughly a hundred kilograms, far more than its appearance suggested. Rei swung the massive weapon with ease, aided by the Death Scythe's special ability that rendered its weight negligible to its wielder.
The fact that Zelos was not blown away but merely had his halberd deflected when clashing with a blow from the swung weapon—given Rei's own inhuman physical strength—proved that the mercenary possessed skill appropriate for a B-Rank adventurer.
Zelos's tough-looking face was colored with an almost innocent smile. Rei, having received this praise, muttered with a hint of admiration as he brought the Death Scythe back to his side.
"I didn't expect you to keep hold of your weapon after clashing with the Death Scythe. You're quite good."
Though they were praising each other, that single exchange had made it clearer than anything else who held the advantage. Speed and power—Rei surpassed Zelos in both.
Watching from the stands, the displeased Keep screamed with all his might.
"Zelos, fight properly! What do you think I hired you for!"
Keep's voice reached the ring, causing Zelos’s expression to shift from joy to a deep scowl. Naturally, Zelos felt absolutely no loyalty or sense of obligation toward the noble. He hadn't taken this job because he was devoted to Keep; he had taken it solely for the chance to fight a man like Rei.
He had wanted to personally experience the power of the man known by the alias of 'Crimson', whom he had heard of for some time. That was the only reason he had allowed himself to be hired by an unpleasant individual like Keep. After having his frustrations build up from listening to Keep's constant nonsense, Zelos was finally beginning to relieve that stress through combat. To have such a boorish interruption now was more than he could endure.
"Shut up, you lowlife! You don't even intend to fight yourself, so don't you dare meddle in someone else's battle!"
"Hie! ...Y-You! Who do you think you're talking to!"
Keep flinched for a moment at the roar from the ring, but he immediately shouted back to save face. Between his behavior now and the commotion before the duel, the residents of Gilm—and even the surrounding nobles, including the Noble of the King's Faction—were already casting looks at Keep that were a mixture of exasperation, mockery, disappointment, and anger.
Because Keep firmly believed himself to be a person worthy of the highest respect, he could not bear being the target of such gazes. He was about to bark another order at his surroundings when a stern voice cut him off.
"Lord Keep, that is enough! If you interfere with the duel any further, I will consider it a forfeiture of the match on your part!"
When Daskar spoke, Keep's mouth clamped shut. It was not difficult to imagine what would happen to him if he lost this duel—and furthermore, if the property of Count Eriel's House was handed over according to the contract. He had a trump card prepared just in case, but using it would undoubtedly be dangerous. The best outcome was for Zelos to win. Believing that victory was still possible, Keep could not afford a forfeiture.
Without hiding his dissatisfaction, Keep fell into a resentful silence, casting a gaze filled with hatred toward the fighters. However, neither Rei nor Zelos paid him any mind as they squared off once more.
"Well then, the fight was interrupted by some pathetic meddling... shall we continue?"
"...Why did you take such a lousy job anyway?" Rei asked, readying the Death Scythe. He truly couldn't fathom Zelos's reasoning. "If you just wanted to fight me, you could have visited normally and requested a mock battle or something."
Zelos responded by readying his halberd, his eyes searching for even the slightest opening. "What I want isn't a mock battle. It's a serious match where I might even lose my life. I figured this would be the best way to make that happen."
Zelos barely managed to suppress the urge to strike at the opening Rei had blatantly shown. He knew that if he attacked it, he would be hit by a counter and receive a lethal strike. But even so, seeing such an obvious gap in the guard of a man who otherwise seemed to have no openings at all was a test of extreme patience.
"Even if it wasn't a duel, if you had asked for a real fight, I might have at least agreed to it... but take this!"
With those words, Rei charged. He bridged the gap in a straight line, flicked his wrist, and thrust the Death Scythe's butt end forward like a spear. His movement speed and the velocity of the strike combined so perfectly that by the time Zelos noticed the attack, it was already inches from his body.
Rei had targeted the torso rather than the head to avoid a fatal blow, but that was conversely the part of the body most difficult to evade. It was already too late for Zelos to bring his halberd back to deflect it. All he could do was twist his body in a desperate attempt to dodge.
A harsh, metallic screech rang out as the Death Scythe's butt end scraped against the metal armor covering Zelos's torso.
"Gubuoh!"
Although he had avoided a direct hit, the sheer weight of the Death Scythe ensured that even a grazing blow carried immense force. Zelos was violently blown back by the impact.
"Ku... it hurts! Good grief, this is no joke. Is he really the same B-Rank as me?! Are all alias holders like this?"
Zelos muttered as he scrambled to his feet before he could fully collapse. He reached for his left flank and found the metal armor significantly dented. When he thought about what would have happened if that had hit him squarely, he didn't feel fear. Instead, he felt a rush of joy.
He had never considered himself the strongest, but he wondered if he would ever meet someone this powerful—someone who could only be described as a monster. And he was standing before that monster right now.
"Ha... haha, hahahahahaha!"
Zelos's laughter echoed through the arena, sending a chill down the spines of many spectators. However, Rei remained unmoved. He had heard laughter that emitted a similar... no, a far more intense grisly aura before. Compared to Noise, a grisly aura of this level was as refreshing as a light breeze.
Rei cast his gaze around the stadium. He noticed Basrero watching him with an anxious expression and decided it was time to end the match.
"Well, you seem satisfied... so shall we end this duel soon?"
"Ha! Not yet... I'm not satisfied yet!"
The impact that had crushed his armor left a dull, throbbing pain in Zelos's side, but he shouted his refusal with high spirits. Seeing this, Rei simply shouldered the Death Scythe.
"Ah?"
The word escaped Zelos's mouth in confusion. It was only natural; despite saying they were still going to fight, Rei had lowered his weapon into an casual stance. Of course, a warrior of Rei's caliber could still unleash a powerful strike from such a position, but something about it felt wrong.
The skilled veterans among the spectators—the adventurers, knights, soldiers, and mercenaries—all felt a similar sense of incongruity.
"Go! He's being careless because he has the advantage! Strike that opening!" Keep's voice shrieked again, but no one moved to agree with him.
Then, Rei reached up and began to remove the ring he wore on his finger.
"Keep your eyes peeled and don't lose focus for a second. If you do... you'll lose consciousness before you even realize it."
"What—?"
Before Zelos could finish his question, it happened.
With a heavy "gooh," the atmosphere changed. It wasn't exactly a sound, but Zelos and every spectator in the arena felt a physical vibration through their souls. Suddenly, Rei was shrouded in a crimson shroud of energy.
Several people in the crowd who possessed the ability to sense magic power fell onto their backsides, overwhelmed. They realized they were looking at magic power concentrated enough to be visualized.
"W-What... you, what did you do?!" Zelos shouted, gasping at the sheer pressure radiating from the man before him. Though he managed to stay on his feet, he was completely pinned down by the aura.
(Heh... to think he still has the composure to speak while facing Rei-san’s Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor.)
Johanna watched Zelos with a look of surprise. During the internal strife of the Bestia Empire, she and her comrades had been forced to face Rei in this state more times than they cared to remember—though at that time, it had been the Overlord's Armor, before it had sublimated into its current form. Because of that experience, she was one of the few who could keep her wits about her.
Only Lento, who stood beside her, knew that she had been looking at Seto the entire time and had only bothered to look at Rei once the armor was activated.
"That... what on earth is that..." Lento muttered. He had only acted with Rei for a short while during the Gamelion hunting. He had heard the rumors, but he had never seen Rei's true power until now. He had seen him cut through a Gamelion with ease, but what was unfolding now was a spectacle that defied comparison.
"Since it's a skill even more powerful than the Overlord's Armor, it's only natural people end up like that," Johanna remarked calmly. In truth, she was only holding her ground because of her familiarity with Rei's power. If she were seeing the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor for the first time, she wasn't sure she could have kept from falling.
The vast majority of the spectators were struck dumb, unable to even breathe under the weight of Rei's presence. Daskar, acting as the duel referee, maintained his composure primarily because he trusted Rei and knew he wouldn't use a skill that would cause collateral damage.
As Daskar watched the fighters, a foul odor reached his nose. He turned his gaze toward the source and saw Keep sprawled on the ground, having soiled himself in a display that left the earth beneath him damp.
(It seems he's finally realized exactly who he picked a fight with...)
Daskar looked away in pity, only to realize that Rei had vanished from his position. He was suddenly directly behind Zelos. Daskar couldn't even comprehend the movement, let alone the sight of the Death Scythe being pressed against Zelos's neck.
It was the near-instantaneous movement speed granted by the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor. Rei had moved so fast that almost no one had seen him. Perhaps an A-Rank adventurer might have caught a glimpse, but to everyone else, it was as if he had teleported.
"Well then, what will you do?"
Zelos looked at the giant blade of the Death Scythe resting against his throat. He exhaled a long, slow sigh and spoke.
"I surrender."
The moment those words left Zelos's mouth, Daskar snapped back to his senses and shouted to the crowd.
"The match is over! I declare the victory for Baron Cisne's House's side!"